Bad Habit
by Yuleen75
Summary: Bad habits always seen to ruin the day, and bad habits left a mage guildless and with the need of a party to train. Time to meet people, and meet the world.


_**Summary:** Bad habits always seen to ruin the day, and bad habits left a mage guildless and with the need of a party to train. Time to meet people, and meet the world._

Welcome to my new fanfic! (what about the other ones? Don't ask about them). I just needed to take out my desire to write a fanfic about Ragnarok Online (I repeat! Ignore my others fanfics). I must say... I can hardly remember a fanfic that I had make with characters created 100 from my "imagination" and not based in a friend.

And thanks a lot to Arkueid for helping me fixing all the grammar mistakes and things like that in this chapter!

**Bad Habit**

Chapter 1  
**Prologue**

XXXXX

"…in other words: You are under arrest, Mr. Watteau"

Everyone in the guild held their breath, eyes fixed on their guild leader. A lord knight, almost around his forty, looked at them with downcast eyes.

"Sorry guys, I think that everything ends here"

With a fast motion, both knights beside the old man who read the sentence took the leader by his forearms and put him handcuffs. The whole guild went silent, seeing how the man who they swear to follow was taken to prison right in front of them.

The official cleared his throat and continued reading the document in his hand.

"In consequence, the guild 'Mighty Judgment' will be disbanded"

There was a unison growl between the members. The old man made a hand gesture that no one beside the knights carrying the prisoner understood, and left the castle of Neuschwanstein in Lunia.

"Can you believe what that old man did?"

"Thanks to that now I have nowhere to go!"

"He should left them kill him."

"Do you have any idea how many taxes I paid to this crappy guild?!"

"Well, at least now I have time to visit my daughter"

"Why couldn't they leave the guild in the hand of Gericault? He's a good leader and a fantastic sniper."

One by one, the now guildless people started to leave the entrance hall, searching for their things before the sun set in the horizon. One after another, the people abandoned the castle, which has been their home for three months.

"Do you know how many times I broke my armor at War of Emperium, and all that for naught?!" Screamed the last person that left.

"This suck"

A lone mage was left in the entrance. With her right hand on her hip, she looked at the now silent chamber.

"Well… let's leave a farewell gift… my dear 'Mighty Judgment'."

With a wicked smile, and an eye closed, she casted a spell. After a moment all the banners in the hall were on fire, including the carpet, the flower decoration, and the hair of a random soul linker that was unfortunate enough to not leave the castle at time.

After another pause she heard several voices screaming their heart out.

"STEPHATINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The mage smiled innocently at the soul linker that was coming up to her with staff in hand and a pissed off look.

"Bye, bye, dear! See ya!"

And with a speed that a mage couldn't come with, she left the castle before a rampage of several crusaders, monks (including a champion) and a burned-haired soul linker got to her.

After running for what seemed like eternity, she stopped in front of a castle in Lunia: Hohenschwangau, AKA Hoh. The sun was already gone, and she could see a cloudless sky covered with starts.

She was completely wet. Her red hair that would normally fall in waves till her feet was now plastered on her body like a second skin. She watched the silhouette of the castle that had been her home for months: Neuschwanstein, with her pale green eyes and sighed.

"Now how the hell I'm going to train?"

She took a sit in one of the benches that was around the area. Hugging her knees, she stayed there watching the sky until dawn.

xxxxx

It was a common knowledge that when you are looking for a party, you better go to the center of a town. Al De Baran wasn't an exception to this rule. People, adventures, mercenaries and soldiers walked from one part of the town to another, always coming to the great intersection right in the middle of the town, were the Clock Tower was. Merchants and warriors from all over the world were here, showing their goods, telling their stories about their dreams and goals. And between them, Stephatine stood alone twitching her left eye.

"Too…much…noise…"

She wasn't the sexiest girl around, but she could definitely catch some eyes (her uniform was the one at fault). She was glaring at a group of people in front of a big mural just beside the small post of a smiling Kafra. She kept glaring and glaring, her hand closing and opening again and again, forming a tiny flare.

"I know that if I want to form a party with a stranger, the best place to go is the mural in the center of the town…. But sadly, some other fifty people know it too!"

Stephatine, the young (and somewhat fearful) mage was almost at her limits, so she decide to open some space, after all, she needed to see the mural to know who was looking for a party, and if she didn't wasn't able to see, then she was determinate to put a petition herself. She just had to throw a little flame at the group… nobody has to know that it was her.

With a grin on her features, she pointed her hand toward the people-

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG!"

And ended up setting her own hair on fire thanks to a crazy psyco that came out of nowhere and decided to hug her when she was casting a firebolt spell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! MY HAIR IS ON FIRE!!... Oh wait, it's on fire!"

At first she was going to start running around to put out the fire even if she had to drag the smiling bastard hugging her, but she kept looking at the red flames that were slowly eating the button of her hair.

"Is pretty, isn't?"

The stranger stopped smiling and looked at the Stephatine with a horrifying gaze.

"Eh... your hair is on fire… are not you going to do something about it?"  
"Why? Fire can be beautiful too, you know?"

The stranger, under the killing glare of the younger girl, let her go and took a few steps back. The fire continued eating the mage's hair, which logical made that some people started to look at the pair curiously. A kind wizard used a fast and small water ball spell on Stephatine's hair after spreading water from a bottle on the floor and the fire slowly went out. As regard, Stephanie glared at the wizard.

"You're a party crasher. Can't you mind you own business?"  
"Sorry" The wizard smile softly and left in a hurry, but still the public was still staring.

"Ehn…. I am sorry about your hair."

Stephatine turned toward the stranger that came out of nowhere to hug her. He was a knight, with dark blue and spiky hair and brilliant blue eyes. He was blushing, looking at the mage's hair that was now at her middle back.

"Why did you hug me?"

"Ahn… sorry, is a bad habit of mine. I cannot control myself… sorry."

"Stop saying sorry."

"Ah, okay, sorry about that."

He smile nervously and she smacked her forehead.

"Well, I forgive you. I kinda understand that part about bad habits…"

"Just like I thought. You are a pyromaniac, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Not a lot of people would let their hair catch fire."

"Good point, you won a lollipop."

"REALLY!?"

She looked skeptical at the knight. Of course, what she said was sarcasm, but he was smiling from ear to ear, with shining eyes and a jumpy feet.

"Are you for real?!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but in less than a second he was at the floor eating dirt with a High Wizard above him. With the sudden entrance of the newcomer, the atmosphere became tense, everyone (both the mage and people around) turned pale. An electric aura was radiating from the female High Wizard, and with the sun just behind the figure, her face was cast in shadows.

A pair, conformed by a Dancer and a Bard, two priests, one swordsman and an Assassin Cross took a step forward, their weapons at hand. Stephatine, that was right in front of the High Wizard, couldn't move… her body paralyzed in fear to the point that her knees couldn't keep her weight and she fell on the ground.

Even with her face in shadows, a wicked smile could be seen. There's was not need to see her face: Pale blonde and short hair with two small buns in each side of her head, a small body, a inoffensive looking staff and killer aura. No…. there was no need to see her face, or know her previously to know who she was.

"Kathryne Keyron…" whispered the assassin cross.

Stephatine was sweating. She knew that there were people around, but even with a party of twenty people it was impossible to win against that…that monster that never leave the Somatology Laboratory. Some people must have thought that it would be fun to cause fear and despair in a crowed town and used a Bloody Branch. And damn, that was exactly how she was feeling right now.

She looked at the knight right under the monster. He had fallen unconscious after the fall, but now he was moving a little, almost waking up. She could feel the assassin cross coming closer, followed by the young pair of former archers.

She was going to die… and she knew it.

The innocent knight woke up, and turned his head around. The assassin cross that was now standing between the monster and Stephatine, took a battle stance. Both dancer and bard were at each side of the young mage.

"Oh! Hi Illya! Is that your new costume?"

The High Wizard stopped her terrifying smile and got off from the back of the knight.

"Isn't it cool?! I almost got those people to attack me! All those weeks of practice in front of the mirror sure paid off!" The senior wizard smiled brightly.

The people stared skeptically at Illya. In other hand, the assassin cross was furious.

"What the heck is going on?!" he asked

"Oh, don't worry, just practicing my act a little."

Stephatine's left eye twitched…a second time in the day.

"I am sorry" said the knight, after standing up "please forgive her. She has the habit of dressing up a lot. Sadly, sometime she picks the worst topic possible." He smiled sadly, and bowed in front of everyone.

"Are you two for real…?!"

Both the knight and the High Wizard looked at the red haired mage. She was standing beside the Assassin Cross.

"Would you help me get my revenge, Mr. Assassin?"

"Gladly."

"Nice. Time to pay, my dear."

Stephatine smile was more evil and scarier than the one of the High Wizard's. Both soon-to-be-victims went pale at the sight of an angry mage and a horrifying assassin.

"…Mommy…"

The screams of a man and a woman were heard in the whole town.

xxxxx

After a day filled with excited events, the small group conformed of four people were at Full Moon Inn in Al De Baran. Two of them, a young red haired mage and a black haired assassin were drinking tea and chatting happily, while a knight called Lancelot and a High Wizard by the name of Illya were having a hard time trying to sip a glass of water (not to cold, because it would hurt more than it already was).

"So you need a party to train, Miss. Stephatine?" Said the assassin cross. He introduced himself as Chres Delacroix. He helped the young mage carry both victims to the inn. The knight and the High Wizard ended up in such a bad state that even she felt bad about leaving them.

"That's right. I'm almost done with my physical study and then I have to take the Wizard Test. But the place where I usually train is kind of hard for me alone"

"Have you ever gone to the field outside Ice Cavern?"

"Uhn… I heard of it, but it's kind of hard to go there. Besides, I don't want to be the kind of wizard that stays in the back casting. I prefer to be in the front." Chres looked with curiosity at Stephatine.

"Then why don't you become a sage?"

"No way! I'm becoming a wizard because "he" inspired me!"

She put a look that none of them had seen in her eyes before; one of admiration and devotion. As on cue, Illya put the same look. She took Stephatine hands in hers, and both of them looked face to face, blushing madly and smiling like idiots.

"Are you talking about him?!"

"Of course I'm talking about him! Who would be more perfect, gracious, elegant, tall, handsome and excellent wizard than him?!"

"Ooooh! Nobody! I'M SURE OF THAT!"

Both girls started giggling like fan girls. The assassin cross and the knight were speechless.

"Ahn…. Righ…. Yeah, him….he's….well…."  
"A good role model….?"  
"Yeah… that…. I think…"

The males kept staring at the girls that now were chatting happily about magic spells and staffs.

"I think that this will take a long time…"

"You could not be more right, Chres."

XXXXX

The high and mighty wizard wich obviously Stephatine and Illya are all drooling for is... well... just go and read _ Warriors of the World_ of Arcturus17... now that what a call a real fanfic! (and a wizard... damn you, Emeth!). No... this fanfic doesn't happen WotW's world, neither the characters will apear here (maybe at this point Acturus is preparing her axe to kill me because this!).

Well, anyway! Read and review!


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